gamified meal planner for sustainable and Healthy eating
🌱 Root - The Duolingo of Sustainable Eating
🌱 Root - The Duolingo of Sustainable Eating
Industry
Wellness
Wellness
ROLE
UX/UI Designer
UX/UI Designer
Timeline
1.5 week
1.5 week
Team
2 designers
2 designers



Designing a wellness companion that grows with you - LITERALLY.
Designing a wellness companion that grows with you - LITERALLY.
The Problem We Couldn't Ignore
The Problem We Couldn't Ignore
“How do we eat in a way that supports our health and the planet — without burnout, guilt, or confusion?”
That was the question echoing in every interview, journal entry, and late-night research session. For many health-conscious eaters, especially those transitioning to plant-based diets, the intention is clear, but the path is murky. They’re navigating a forest of guilt, confusion, and decision fatigue.
Root was born from that tension and a vision:
What if eating sustainably felt more like nurturing a garden than checking off a chore list?
“How do we eat in a way that supports our health and the planet — without burnout, guilt, or confusion?”
That was the question echoing in every interview, journal entry, and late-night research session. For many health-conscious eaters, especially those transitioning to plant-based diets, the intention is clear, but the path is murky. They’re navigating a forest of guilt, confusion, and decision fatigue.
Root was born from that tension and a vision:
What if eating sustainably felt more like nurturing a garden than checking off a chore list?
🧩 Reframing a Wicked Problem
🧩 Reframing a Wicked Problem
We dug into secondary research, including a McKinsey 2023 report that revealed:
Nearly 50% of consumers struggle to balance health and sustainability in their diets — especially Gen Z and Millennials.
We dug into secondary research, including a McKinsey 2023 report that revealed:
Nearly 50% of consumers struggle to balance health and sustainability in their diets — especially Gen Z and Millennials.
43%
43%
43%
Adopting Sustainable Behaviours
77%
77%
77%
Concerned about Sustainability in Food choices
50%
50%
50%
Struggling to make both healthy and sustainable choices
So we reframed the challenge:
How might we help environmentally conscious eaters feel empowered, motivated, and informed — without adding to their mental load?
This insight sparked our core design question:
How might we help environmentally conscious eaters feel empowered, motivated, and informed — without adding to their mental load?
Empathy First: Listening to the Overwhelm
Empathy First: Listening to the Overwhelm
We started by sitting down with people like Lara, a 32-year-old vegan designer in Berlin, who told us:
“I want my food to nourish me and the planet, but it’s hard to stay motivated when it feels so complicated.”
We started by sitting down with people like Lara, a 32-year-old vegan designer in Berlin, who told us:
“I want my food to nourish me and the planet, but it’s hard to stay motivated when it feels so complicated.”



Through in-depth interviews with over a dozen people, we identified three recurring emotional pain points:
Cognitive overload from conflicting nutrition and sustainability advice
Guilt from “failing” to meet high ethical standards
Fatigue from repetitive meals and exhausting planning
This wasn't just about food. It was about identity, intention, and the quiet stress of trying to do the right thing — and still feel okay.
Through in-depth interviews with over a dozen people, we identified three recurring emotional pain points:
Cognitive overload from conflicting nutrition and sustainability advice
Guilt from “failing” to meet high ethical standards
Fatigue from repetitive meals and exhausting planning
This wasn't just about food. It was about identity, intention, and the quiet stress of trying to do the right thing — and still feel okay.
🎮 From Habit to Game: Making It Stick
🎮 From Habit to Game: Making It Stick
We explored 20+ solution ideas — from nutrition timelines to AI food bots. But one metaphor kept rising to the surface:
What if eating well felt more like playing a game than managing a spreadsheet?
That idea became the beating heart of Root:
🍽️ Your meals feed your avatar — reflecting your nutrition
🌿 Your choices grow your garden — visualizing sustainability
🎯 You track, level up, and earn rewards — all without guilt
It’s playful. It’s visual. It’s emotionally validating.
We explored 20+ solution ideas — from nutrition timelines to AI food bots. But one metaphor kept rising to the surface:
What if eating well felt more like playing a game than managing a spreadsheet?
That idea became the beating heart of Root:
🍽️ Your meals feed your avatar — reflecting your nutrition
🌿 Your choices grow your garden — visualizing sustainability
🎯 You track, level up, and earn rewards — all without guilt
It’s playful. It’s visual. It’s emotionally validating.



💡 MVP Breakdown: What Made the Cut
We prioritized features based on emotional impact and usability — not just functionality. (MoSCoW Analysis)
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Grocery Sync: Auto-updates from delivery data
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Badges: Rewards for consistency, not perfection
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Grocery Sync: Auto-updates from delivery data
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
🌟 Nice-to-Haves
Weekly Challenges: Bite-sized missions for extra motivation
Mini-Games: Learn while you play
Product Info: Search or scan for sustainability insights
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Grocery Sync: Auto-updates from delivery data
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
⛔ Not Yet
Real-time scanning — we’re keeping input simple to start
Grocery delivery - delivery of healthy and sustainable products through online shop
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Grocery Sync: Auto-updates from delivery data
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Badges: Rewards for consistency, not perfection
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Grocery Sync: Auto-updates from delivery data
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
🌟 Nice-to-Haves
Weekly Challenges: Bite-sized missions for extra motivation
Mini-Games: Learn while you play
Product Info: Search or scan for sustainability insights
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Grocery Sync: Auto-updates from delivery data
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
⛔ Not Yet
Real-time scanning — we’re keeping input simple to start
Grocery delivery - delivery of healthy and sustainable products through online shop
💡 MVP Breakdown: What Made the Cut
We prioritized features based on emotional impact and usability — not just functionality. (MoSCoW Analysis)
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Grocery Sync: Auto-updates from delivery data
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Badges: Rewards for consistency, not perfection
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Grocery Sync: Auto-updates from delivery data
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
🌟 Nice-to-Haves
Weekly Challenges: Bite-sized missions for extra motivation
Mini-Games: Learn while you play
Product Info: Search or scan for sustainability insights
✅ Must-Haves
Avatar + Garden: Meals update your health and grow your sustainable space
Leaderboard: Track your carbon footprint with friendly competition
Grocery Sync: Auto-updates from delivery data
Nudges: Light daily tips to keep you motivated
⛔ Not Yet
Real-time scanning — we’re keeping input simple to start
Grocery delivery - delivery of healthy and sustainable products through online shop
✏️ Prototyping: Designing Emotional Wellness
✏️ Prototyping: Designing Emotional Wellness
Our mid-fi prototype focused on:
Visual meal logging — no calorie counting or tedious forms
Mood-based tips and wellness nudges
Weekly planning tools that felt doable
A gentle, gamified system that encouraged progress over perfection
Unlike traditional food trackers, Root wasn’t about control. It was about care.
Our mid-fi prototype focused on:
Visual meal logging — no calorie counting or tedious forms
Mood-based tips and wellness nudges
Weekly planning tools that felt doable
A gentle, gamified system that encouraged progress over perfection
Unlike traditional food trackers, Root wasn’t about control. It was about care.



🎯 Testing for Emotion, Not Just Usability
🎯 Testing for Emotion, Not Just Usability
We tested with 8 users — mostly women aged 20–40 who identified as vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian. The feedback confirmed our hunch:
❤️ “The avatar feels like a buddy, not a tracker.”
🌿 “I love seeing my choices grow something.”
🌀 “Finally, an app that doesn’t make me feel guilty when I slip.”
We tested with 8 users — mostly women aged 20–40 who identified as vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian. The feedback confirmed our hunch:
❤️ “The avatar feels like a buddy, not a tracker.”
🌿 “I love seeing my choices grow something.”
🌀 “Finally, an app that doesn’t make me feel guilty when I slip.”
This wasn’t just functional UX. It was felt UX. Emotional validation became one of our most powerful “features.”
🥕 MVP Statement
Root is a playful, interactive app that helps health-conscious vegans like Laura overcome nutritional doubts and eco-confusion by turning meal planning into a joyful, emotionally supportive experience.
Our MVP delivers:
🧍 A nutrition avatar + 🌱 a sustainability garden
🧾 Weekly feedback on meals and carbon footprint
📅 Recipe planning with instant insights
💬 Light social features like trivia and community gardens
🌱 Our Vision
We believe that small, joyful choices — repeated consistently — can lead to lasting change.
Root is more than an app. It’s a mirror, a guide, and a garden you grow with every bite.
We’re building the Duolingo of sustainable eating — one joyful meal at a time.


Get in touch with me

Get in touch with me

Moodboard: Root’s Visual Language
Moodboard: Root’s Visual Language
To keep our visual identity rooted (pun intended) in our mission, we created a moodboard that served as our compass:
To keep our visual identity rooted (pun intended) in our mission, we created a moodboard that served as our compass:



Green — Connecting users to nature
Playful — Encouraging joy and levity
Motivating — Inspiring small, meaningful actions
Healthy — Centering balance and well-being
Joyful — Celebrating everyday wins
Green — Connecting users to nature
Playful — Encouraging joy and levity
Motivating — Inspiring small, meaningful actions
Healthy — Centering balance and well-being
Joyful — Celebrating everyday wins
This moodboard guided our UI, tone, and even microinteractions. Everything had to feel warm, welcoming, and alive.
This moodboard guided our UI, tone, and even microinteractions. Everything had to feel warm, welcoming, and alive.
This moodboard guided our UI, tone, and even microinteractions. Everything had to feel warm, welcoming, and alive.
🥕 MVP Statement
Root is a playful, interactive app that helps health-conscious vegans like Laura overcome nutritional doubts and eco-confusion by turning meal planning into a joyful, emotionally supportive experience.
Our MVP delivers:
🧍 A nutrition avatar + 🌱 a sustainability garden
🧾 Weekly feedback on meals and carbon footprint
📅 Recipe planning with instant insights
💬 Light social features like trivia and community gardens
🌱 Our Vision
We believe that small, joyful choices — repeated consistently — can lead to lasting change.
Root is more than an app. It’s a mirror, a guide, and a garden you grow with every bite.
We’re building the Duolingo of sustainable eating — one joyful meal at a time.


Get in touch with me

Get in touch with me
